STILL THE BEST SHOW EVER…

ABOUT TEN YEARS AGO, I WAS PLAYING IN A GOLF TOURNAMENT AND SOMEONE SAID, “THERE IS SOMEONE HERE WHO WANTS TO MEET YOU.” OK, SO I WALKED WITH THIS PERSON AND AS WE GOT TO WHERE WE WERE GOING, THIS MAN SPINS AROUND AND SAYS, “HEY, BIG JOE, I AM A BIG FAN.  THANKS FOR MAKING ME LAUGH.”
I COULDN’T SAY A WORD.  I JUST STOOD THERE.  “ARE YOU OK?”
“YOU’RE, UMM, YOU’RE TOM GRANT.”

(THAT IS NOT ME WITH TOM GRANT IN THE PIC.  AT LEAST I DON’T THINK)
“YES, I AM.  NICE TO MEET YOU.  I DON’T BELIEVE WE HAVE EVER MET BUT I HAVE SEEN YOU ON TV A BUNCH.”
“TOM, YOU WERE LARGER THAN LIFE WHEN I WAS GROWING UP.  YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THIS MEANS MEETING YOU.”
“LET ME GUESS, THE RALPH EMERY SHOW?”
“YES SIR.”

FOR THOSE WHO DID NOT GROW UP IN NASHVILLE, HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE RALPH EMERY SHOW WAS OR WHAT IT MEANT TO SO MANY OF US GROWING UP.  A MORNING SHOW ON CHANNEL 4 THAT HAD A HOUSE BAND AND MORE CHARACTERS THAN ALL THE SOAP OPERAS COMBINED.
EVERYONE WATCHED IT AND I AM NOT KIDDING.  I KNEW MORE ABOUT RALPH AND TOM AND KENNY STARR, THAN I DID ABOUT MY OWN FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
I WAS TOLD ONE TIME THAT IF THE RATINGS SYSTEM THAT WE GO BY NOW, WAS IN USE BACK THEN, THEY WOULD HAVE ABOUT A 90 SHARE EVERY SINGLE DAY.  A TITANS GAME PULLS ABOUT A 25.  THE OSCARS ABOUT A 35.  A 90 SHARE.  EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
WHAT WAS SPECIAL ABOUT IT? NOTHING.  NOTHING AT ALL.  BUT IT WAS PERFECT IN EVERY WAY.  YOU KNEW THE HOUSE BAND BY NAME AND THEY USUALLY HAD SOME SMART-ASS REPLY TO WHATEVER RALPH WAS ASKING THEM.  AND, IT WAS ALWAYS FUNNY.
DID I MENTION A 90 SHARE?  I BET A CONSULTANT CAME IN ONE TIME TO TELL THEM WHAT TO DO AND I HOPE THEY LAUGHED THAT PERSON OUT THE DOOR.
I GET ASKED IF THAT WOULD WORK IN TODAY’S WORLD AND I SAY ABSOLUTELY, BUT IT WOULD TAKE CHARACTERS WHO UNDERSTOOD THEY ARE PART OF THE SHOW, NOT THE SHOW.
SO THE REASON I AM WRITING THIS, A WEEK AGO I WAS LEAVING THE ANCHOR DESK AT CHANNEL 4 AND I ASKED SOMEONE, “HEY, WHERE WAS THE RALPH EMERY SHOW HELD?”
“RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE STANDING.”
“WHAT?”
“THIS VERY STUDIO, WHERE YOU JUST DID YOUR SPORTSCAST, THIS WAS WHERE THE SHOW WENT LIVE FOR MANY YEARS.”
TALK ABOUT COMING FULL CIRCLE FOR ME.
I STOOD THERE, AND REMEMBERED GETTING OUT OF BED AT 530, SHOWERING AND EATING BREAKFAST AND WATCHING THE RALPH EMERY SHOW.  THE OUTHOUSE RACES, THE SOAP SISTERS, THE TWO OLD LADIES, AND ON AND ON AND ON.  WE EVEN SHOWED UP ONE DAY AT CHANNEL 4 AND SANG, “NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS,” WITH THE BAND.
A 90 SHARE.  FOR A SHOW THAT WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED RED, HAD REALLY NO PLAN, EXCEPT GO BE YOURSELF.  AND IT WORKED.
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@BIGJOEONTHEGO

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